| July, 2011

The 2011 redistricting effort will provide for extensive public participation, including public workshops, public hearings, and a process for members of the public to submit maps for Commission consideration.

Public Workshops

A series of workshops will be held at various locations around the County to inform the public about the process and requirements for completing the new County Commission district map. Five workshops have been scheduled:

The County Commission will hold two public hearings, in October and early November of 2011.

Public Submissions of Maps

The State of Florida is developing Web-based software, called “MyDistrictBuilder,” which the public can access for free to draw Federal congressional and State legislative maps that they want to submit for consideration. This software is expected to be fully operational in July 2011, and can also be used to draw custom maps for Broward County Commission districts.

Once the software is available, staff from Broward County Planning and Redevelopment Division will be available to help train members of the public on the use of the software and the process for submitting maps.

Paper maps will also be available, with voter precincts and current Commission district boundaries noted, for members of the public interested in drawing maps by hand.

Planning and Redevelopment Division staff will review all maps submitted by members of the public to ensure consistency with the Broward County Charter and Fair Districting Standards, and submit maps meeting those standards to the County Commission for consideration.

All maps submitted for consideration by the County Commission will be posted to this Web site.

Rebekah Escuage asks where the finish is for the standup paddleboard event at recent Chick-fil-A Ocean Series on Pompano Beach. Photo by Gary Curreri

Pompano Beach Piranhas head swim coach Jesse Vassallo is hoping to build a strong swim program in the city.

If a recent fundraising event at the beach is any indication, he could be well on his way. A total of 135 competitors recently participated in a Chick-fil-A Ocean Series on Pompano Beach.

The Chick-fil-A Ocean Series was presented by the Pompano Piranhas and featured a one-mile ocean swim, a 500-meter kids swim and a half-mile stand-up paddleboard race. The top three finishers in each event won Cow trophies and medals. There were also goodie bags and door prizes provided, as well as a Chick-fil-A breakfast.

“I am really excited about being here,” said Vassallo, who took over head coaching duties a month ago after spending the previous two years at Ft. Lauderdale Aquatics. He called the Chick-fil-A event “a tremendous success.”

Vassallo, who turns 50 next month, hopes to continue to grow the swim team in Pompano Beach, which is in just its second year as a United States Swim program. It had previously enjoyed success in the South Florida Recreational Swim League.

“We started a month ago with 45 swimmers and we now have 66,” Vassallo said. “We are trying to run the most professional swim team in the area …We have recreational levels for kids who just want to lose weight or have fun. We also want to be very competitive. You can’t have one without the other.”

“I have my goals,” Vassallo added. “The Pompano Piranhas is a small team that came from the rec league maybe three years ago so it is actually a new team in the U.S. Swimming environment. First, I want this to be a solid team so we have to grow in numbers.”

Julia Schulte, 14, the first female finisher in the standup paddleboard event at the competition who finished fourth overall, likes the direction the Piranhas are taking. She has been a member of the swim program for the past six years.

“It is such a black-and-white difference (with the competition),” said Schulte, who is also a junior lifeguard with Pompano. “With (the recreation swim league), I would win the heats like they were nothing and, here, I get my butt kicked and come in dead last. It is just a whole other world. It is like you go into the Twilight Zone and you feel like you are in a whole different world.”

Piranhas’ teammate Rebekah Escuage, 17, also from Pompano Beach, agreed that the competition is now stiffer.

“Rec (swimming) was a lot of fun, but this is a higher level of competition,” Escuage said. “It is nice to see how it is going to be by competing at such a high level, even with people who are going to the Olympics. It is really different.”

“That was a beginner type thing, but when we switched here it was like a whole different world of competition and people who can beat you,” Escuage added. “Training got a lot harder, but it was more worth it and it was something to strive for.”

My introduction to Harry Potter began 12 years ago when Deerfield Beach Percy White Youth Services librarian David Serchay called me when I was working at Sunrise Dan Pearl Library to check the shelf status of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. (Five years later, David went on a “set-up” date to go see Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban with Bethany, who is now mother to David’s twin girls).

If the Beatles were the social myth of my childhood
and Star Wars the transitional myth of Generation X’s adolescence, then Harry Potter
and the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry has become the cultural hero of the new millennium.

With a record-breaking box office revenue of $168 million, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 delivers upon its original promise. The production team was wise to divide this final movie into two parts, sustaining both narrative flow and the attention to detail.

Part 2 picks up directly from Part 1. The evil Lord Volde-mort (Ralph Fiennes) has obtained the invincible Elder Wand, while Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and his consorts, Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint) bury a loyal ally. As the evil magician grows more powerful, Harry and his allies seek Voldemort’s Achilles heel. As war wages between wizards, beasts and dementors, the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry becomes ground zero.

With the exposition out of the way, director David Yates is freed to direct three extremely well-done action sequences involving a heist, a dragon and a fire in a vault. These scenes are the ones that fans have been waiting for since the disappointing Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The visual clarification is worthy of the action sequences from a John Ford/John Wayne classic.

Since the opening of the first film a decade ago to the current release, the Harry Potter franchise has enjoyed a quality ensemble of British actors. As the monstrous Professor Snape, Alan Rickman deserves kudos for balancing the contradictory motives of the menacing character. Of course, the series would have folded years ago if it were not for the sincere, consistent and empathetic performances from Radcliffe, Grint and Watson.

The closure from this final film is equal to the closure I felt concluding J.K. Rowling’s book. Let’s enjoy the waning days of Harry Potter mania and look toward our next social mythology.

Why every Deerfield resident should care about what is happening at the DBHA

To the Editor:

The Deerfield Beach Housing Authority (DBHA) was legally chartered by the city to address the affordable housing needs of the city.

The distant and imbalanced relationship that has developed between the DBHA and the city of Deerfield Beach should be troubling to all residents. Such a relationship inhibits true collaborations that ultimately lead to not addressing critical housing needs throughout the city.

Over the past several years, the DBHA has been the recipient of the city’s generous support through [Community Development Block Grant] CDBG funds, $500,000 in HOME funds, $100,000 in permit fee waivers, decades of free garbage service up until 2003, donation of city land for the Executive Office, numerous in-kind services for their residents. DBHA has even most recently asked for $500,000 in reallocated City Disaster Recovery funds.

Given this generous support, it should be an affront to all residents that those at the helm of the DBHA, for whatever their reasoning, chose not to open their doors to the city’s internal control review. It should also be an affront that the DBHA Board instead chose a costly course of action that included defiance, delay, and an obstruction to transparency.

In January 2010, the DBHA received its first real Public Records Request. Information concerning procurement irregularities became public. In February 2010, Executive Director Pamela Davis presented a Corrective Action Plan to the Board concerning the procurement irregularities. Minutes from that meeting show few questions were asked. Board commissioners were unable, due to the longevity of their relationship with those in charge, to be objective. A mentality of ‘don’t rock the boat’ and ‘let’s just move on’ was, and still is, prevalent.

In the spring of 2010, the city commission voted for a closer examination of the agency, hired Kessler International to complete an internal control review, and requested various documents be available for Kessler’s review. Given the DBHA’s initial defiant stance, the city had to resort to a Public Records Request to obtain documents. This also meant that Davis did not have to answer questions directly from Kessler.

At a June Special Board Meeting, Davis presented a $350,000 estimated charge for duplicated records. It should be noted that Kessler International asked to have access to the documents, not be copied. Kessler also asked to have electronic copies whenever possible. In fact, as all DBHA copiers scan to e-mail, there was no need to waste a single piece of paper.

In response to an utterly ridiculous $350,000 invoice, the city narrowed its records request.

What followed over the next several months was a concerted campaign by Davis (who lives in Sunrise), her personal defense attorney Tom Connick (Coral Springs), Chairman Keith Emery (Boca Raton) and DBHA attorney Bill Crawford (Ft. Lauderdale) to delay, hinder and avoid the Kessler review. The Authority Board directed Crawford, who closely collaborated with Connick, to draft four letters to the city. The letters focused on the city’s lack of authority to audit the DBHA, discrediting Kessler International, the act of bad faith by requesting the Executive Director’s e-mails, and the tremendous financial burden the audit would place on the DBHA.

In 2010, Crawford was compensated in excess of $50,000 in public funds for his efforts to avoid transparency. His billing provides a play-by-play snapshot of their tactics.

In October 2010, the city sent a final terse request for documents.

When the documents arrived, they were found significantly lacking. Kessler concluded that the lack of documentation significantly hampered his ability to conduct a thorough and accurate review.

Included in the missing documents are the files that pertain directly to the complaints I fielded with the OIG and FBI, numerous bank statements, no information at all for two accounts, no information at all on the over $2 million in DBHA investment accounts, deposit slips for all accounts, several unbid contracts over the $25,000 threshold and an extensive amount of missing quotes/proposals and invoices. In addition, the DBHA submitted a total of 13 e-mails for the Executive Director for the entire year of 2010.

It is clear that the current DBHA Board and management chose not to acknowledge Kessler’s Report. For anyone at the DBHA to state “ … We thought we gave the city of Deerfield Beach everything” is either outright dishonesty or an admission that they did not read the Kessler Report. Being good stewards of public funds, shouldn’t they have had an interest in reading that report?

Not satisfied with the results of HUD’s two limited procurement reviews, I reached out to Congressman Allen West for his assistance. On July 5, 2011, West wrote to the Acting Secretary of the HUD Office of Inspector General calling for “a complete investigation of the Deerfield Beach Housing Authority” due to his concerns over “misuse of taxpayer money” and possible “criminal issues [involving] nepotism, bid rigging and procurement violations.”

The DBHA is not an island in the city and does not belong to those at the helm, regardless of their length of employment or service. The Authority was chartered for a distinct purpose. Now is the time to appoint a new board, which will bring the agency back to the city. Now is the time for transparency. Now is the time to explore true collaborations between the DBHA, the city and community partners. The scope of a PHA in a community can go so much more beyond managing low-income properties. Now is the time to create best practices within our city that could be a model for other areas in addressing affordable housing issues.

Chaz Stevens,

former commissioner,

Deerfield Beach Housing Authority Board

Deerfield Beach Housing Authority

RE: Utility tax

Dear Editor:

The Rescind Unfair Taxes Committee leased the city-owned Constitution Park building at 2841 W. Hillsboro Blvd. for a petition-signing session on July 16 from 1 to 9 p.m. We paid $322, with the provision that $100 would be refunded to us, provided the facility was left in good order.

On Friday, July 15, we learned of a rumor that the city had printed on city stationery approximately 5,000 flyers in opposition to the position our group had taken. Their flyer in my opinion was a divisive missive that pitted the haves against the have nots.

That evening, I called my commissioner, Joe Miller, and told him I was not happy with the city’s attempt to rain on our parade. I told him we wanted to be sure that we would avoid any confrontations. When we arrived at 1 p.m. to do our set-ups, we realized that the city had posted the opposition circulars throughout the city — including the room we were using to collect signatures for our referendum issue. The female city employee who was monitoring our activities told us we did not have the right to remove the opposition material from the room we had leased.

Had we known of this regulation, we never would have leased that building. Since we refused to give back the offending flyers, the employee called her supervisor, Amy Hanson, who, in turn, called her husband Burgess Hanson, the city manager of Deerfield Beach.

He, in turn, called Mayor Noland and District 4 commissioner Ganz, whose decision it was to call BSO. BSO deputies were dispatched to the site to arrest us for vandalizing city property.

When they discovered that there obviously was no city vandalism, they called their superiors to say that no criminal act had been perpetrated. We agreed to give back the flyers we had confiscated in exchange for an agreement that our security deposit of $100 would be returned. Previously, we had been told that it would not be refunded because of our supposed vandalism.

We feel as though the presence of police deterred the voters from entering Constitution Park to sign our petitions. The flyers they posted and distributed made us look like criminals, a portrayal we did not appreciate.

The people in Deerfield should be made aware of the cheap shot the city took in order to stymie our continued success with our petition drive.

Steve Krevoy

Deerfield Beach

Editor’s note: According to spokesperson for the city of Deerfield Beach Rami Altherr-Musto, the city wanted to get information into the hands of residents to educate them. “We’ve distributed to all our facilities – last Tuesday or Wednesday. This is one portion of public service tax [utility tax] that we’re addressing at this time.”

RE: Detox facility

Dear Editor:

On July 7, The Cove Neighborhood showed up in force at the P&Z Board meeting to attempt to stop approval for the Florida House Medical Detoxification Center, looking to occupy 504 S. Federal Hwy. The board voted unanimously to deny the Detoxification Center, based on lack of compatibility to the adjoining zone for single family residences. The Cove neighborhood’s concern is for proper placement of such a facility.

Approval of this facility in the B2 zoning district, with no specific regulation regarding placement, would open the door for other like-facilities to occupy the B2 zoning throughout our city. No other city in South Florida, successfully integrating these facilities, does so without a buffer between residences and schools.

The State of Florida says that these facilities cannot lock their doors to keep non-compliant patients in. This means voluntary denial of help, that they can leave by the front or back door at will, any time of day, despite their contractual agreement with the Florida House.

We already see this happening in our neighborhood. Additionally, we see drug deals occurring flagrantly in front of our homes. We see substance abuse rehabilitation and halfway house clients who skirt their curfew, climb over the fences of adjoining residential properties to escape detection. They throw their liquor bottles over the fences into residential yards.

We need to stop the improper placement of the proposed Florida House Medical Detoxification facility and take a good hard look at our community to find proper zoning for these facilities.

The city’s inability to correctly place this facility is not just detrimental to the residential community, but also to the patients of this facility, as well as the business owner. It is not just one-sided.

Deerfield Beach

July 12 A man visiting Deerfield Beach from Lantana threw a sandwich, a roll with tuna fish inside, to the beach several feet from his seated position. The sandwich caused numerous wild birds to accumulate near a couple lying on a blanket. Arrestee stated he was not littering, just feeding the birds. He was given a city notice to appear and was trespassed from the beach.

July 13 Patrick Damico, of Pompano, was arrested after being caught taking items off the shelves and returning them with receipts obtained from outside the store.

July 14 During a narcotics investigation, Bernadin Etiene was arrested for possession of cocaine with intent, possession of marijuana with intent and resisting without violence. Jean Joseph was charged with driving with a suspended license, (habitual) and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. A Smith and Wesson .357 was recovered. Joseph is also a documented gang member.

July 15 Terry Cyrus was arrested for a fraudulent $3,500 check at Chase Bank.

July 15 A newly purchased and tagless 2006 Hitong Scooter, blue/silver in color, was stolen from Crabby Jack’s on Federal Highway.

July 15 Almost $4,000 in electronics and jewelry were stolen from a home on NW 42 Court.

July 17 A victim answered a Craigslist ad and brought his $350 black frame, chrome deck, three-wheeled go-ped to a location on NE 6 Avenue. A black male, possibly named “Jonathan,” took it for a test drive and never returned it.

July 18 Televisions worth $67,400 were stolen from a business’ overflow warehouse on S. Military Trail.

DEERFIELD — District 4

July 7 Residential burglary arrest was made in Deer Run, 387 NW 34 Terr., late evening. Victim heard an unknown suspect knocking at the door. When she looked out the window, she observed an orange/red Kia SUV. Subject then began to enter the front door, so victim locked herself and her sister in her room. Suspects then left the residence.

A short time later, a second residential burglary occurred in this zone, where the same vehicle description was provided and four black males were seen fleeing in the vehicle. Witness provided a tag and suspect vehicle was seen fleeing south on Powerline Road. Suspects bailed out of the vehicle in Pompano. A perimeter was established and K9 and BSO helicopter assisted. One suspect was located and positively identified by a witness after he was propositioned for a ride. Investigation revealed recovered stolen property from three residential burglaries. Investigation ongoing.

July 10 Conveyance burglary was reported in Riverglen, 545 NW 48 Ave., Riverglen between 9 p.m. July 10 and 9 a.m. July 11.Victim advised that unknown suspect(s) broke into her vehicle by smashing the front passenger window. Suspect(s) stole her paycheck and various paperwork with her personal information from the glove box. Also stolen were three pairs of new kids shoes. Loss estimated at $100. Latents recovered. No video in area.

July 12 Auto theft was reported in an enclave at the Waterways apartments, 4363 SW 10 Place. between 11 p.m. July 12 and 8 a.m. July 13. Complainant stated that unknown person(s) had stolen her vehicle parked at this location. Vehicle was entered into FCIC/NCIC and the area was canvassed.

July 12 Auto theft arrest was made at 101 Freedom Court, Independence Bay. Deputy met with complainant, who reported that between 7 p.m. on July 12 and 9 a.m. on July 13 unknown person(s) removed a vehicle parked at this location. Vehicle was entered into FCIC/NCIC and the area was canvassed. Later during his shift, the same deputy observed the stolen vehicle driving in the area of the Village Inn Motel at 1250 W. Hillsboro Blvd. Recognizing the vehicle as the same one he had entered into teletype earlier, the deputy made a traffic stop and took the suspect, a known drug offender, into custody. Because of this deputy’s efforts and the subsequent interview, two grand theft auto cases were cleared.

July 16 Residential burglary was reported at Sally Beauty Supply, 3904 W. Hillsboro Blvd., at 2:30 a.m. Deputy responded to an alarm call and upon arrival, found the front window smashed out. Interior checked with negative results. Subject took approximately $500 in merchandise. Scene was processed.

July 17 Grand theft was reported at the Waterways apartments, 4361 SW 10 Place, between 10:15 p.m. June 17 and 8 a.m. June 18. Victim said unknown suspect(s) stole all four tires/rims off a 2001 Honda.

Lighthouse Point

July 7 A home on NE 20 Avenue had its door pried open from the frame and a second interior door also forced open. A 42” television, a stamp collection, an EBT food stamp card, a garage door opener and a comforter were stolen.

July 11 An unlocked car on NE 27 Street had an XM radio and EmoTivo EPOC (Human Computer Interaction Device for children with disabilities) missing from car.

July 11 Wheels from a 2011 Cadillac Platinum Edition Escalade were stolen on NE 30 Court. The tires were worth $10,200. A vehicle parked on NE 29 Street also had its wheels stolen.

Splash Luau

Friday, July 22, 6 to 10 p.m.

Quiet Waters Park, 401 S. Powerline Rd., Deerfield Beach, FL 33442

This family-oriented event will include a movie, luau games and other activities, along with splash time in the park’s Splash Adventure water park. $5.50-per-person admission fee does not include refreshments. Space is limited. Advance tickets required. 954-357-5100.

• Thursday, August 11, noon to 1 p.m., 6th floor: Associate Professor of History at Florida Atlantic University Dr. Ben Lowe presents “Medicine, Magic and the Culture of Humanism in Renaissance Europe,” discusses how science and medicine during this time often crossed over into magic.

Harry Potter movies will show in the first floor auditorium from 2 to 5 p.m; July 28: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone; July 29: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets; Aug. 4: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban; Aug. 5: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire; Aug. 11: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix; Aug. 12: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince; Aug. 17: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1.

For information, call 954-357-7443.

Save the Date: Battle of the Singing Preachers!

The Battle of the Singing Preachers kicks off the 1st Annual Praise and Worship Conference & Choir Revival, hosted by Rev. Gene Townsel, beginning the following day at the Deerfield Beach Hampton Inn, 660 W. Hillsboro Blvd., 33441. Singing preachers include locals like Patrick Kelly of Cathedral Church Of God in Deerfield Beach, Rev. Ernest Gonder of Love Fellowship Church in Pompano Beach and Minister Adrian Wilson of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church in Pompano Beach. Tickets for the dinner show are $40 single, $75 couple and $35 each for a table of 10.

Scheduled to share in the conference at the Hampton Inn is nationally acclaimed composer, clinician and director Dr. Margaret Pleasant Douroux. Conference closes with a Choir Revival at the Word Of The Living God Ministries in Pompano Beach.

Special “Pre-Registration” group discounts are available for registrations that are in by July 25. Register at www.genetownselministries.com or call 561-436-0868.

In order to understand courage, you have to first experience fear. Without fear, you will never know if you have courage. Fear is very powerful and can paralyze you if you allow it to take control of your life. If we say that we never fear, then how is it possible to know what courage is? Fear will come, but we must face our fears and conquer them. Never allow fear to defeat you and control your life.

2 KINGS 23:3

3 The king took his place of authority beside the pillar and renewed the covenant in the LORD’s presence. He pledged to obey the LORD by keeping all his commands, laws and decrees with all his heart and soul. In this way, he confirmed all the terms of the covenant that were written in the scroll and all the people pledged themselves to the covenant.

NLT

In 2 Kings 22 and 23, we read that King Josiah was a man who sought after God. However, his life changed when God’s Word was rediscovered. He called the people to a renewed covenant before God (see verse above). God moved through Josiah to crush the wickedness of his country like a hurricane crumbles houses as if they were made out of toothpicks.

Many of us need courage. We try to go through life with a John Wayne swagger, but we’re like milk toast (lacking backbone, not standing up for oneself), desperately in need of some courage. We need to stop whimpering and making excuses and start trusting God and His word. King Josiah died in battle, not running in fear. He was full of courage because of God’s word. How can we be full of courage? By knowing God’s word and following God’s word.

JOSHUA 1:5-7

5 No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you.

6 “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them.

7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do.

NLT

We can be strong and courageous by knowing and following the word of God. We get strength and courage from having faith in God and His word. God promised to never leave us and He will always be with us. Stop making excuses and start reading your Bible every day. You know what? You may not battle a thousand, but begin your day by reading God’s word and praying over your life and your family. Decide right now not to allow fear to control you any longer. Many people just focus on their failures and never decide how they are going to start walking in the courage that God has offered to us. Ask God to fill you with His strength and courage. Do not forget to read the Bible a little every day. God will answer your prayer.

Apollo 11 made history 42 years ago yesterday, having ferried two U.S. astronauts from Earth to the moon . On July 20, 1969, U.S. astronauts Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin and Neil Armstrong were the first men to walk on the surface of the moon. And Armstrong uttered the historic words, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

It marked a significant achievement in the space race that had developed between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. The pair had been locked in a decade-long push to put a man on the moon.

Aldrin and Armstrong’s moon walk was witnessed by more than a billion people worldwide, watching on television or listening to the radio, according to the Washington Post. Apollo 11 began its journey to the moon July 16, 1969. According to Time magazine, the Eagle Lunar Module landed on the moon on the afternoon of July 20, four days later. That night, a little before 11 p.m. Eastern time, Armstrong first set foot on lunar soil. The astronauts’ walk lasted a little more than two hours. During that time, they received a call from President Richard M. Nixon directly from the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C.

The space shuttle Atlantis’s landed in Florida today and ends the last of 135 missions over 30 years that delivered the Hubble telescope into orbit and helped build the International Space Station.

The four astronauts, led by Commander Chris Ferguson touched down at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 5:56 a.m. after a 13-day mission.

Returning from Iraq, Master Sgt. Robert San Filippo presents flag to new American Legion Post 162 Commander Eddie Cruz on July 16

On Saturday, July 16, former Marine Eddie Cruz was installed as the new Post Commander for the American Legion Post 162 in Deerfield Beach. Cruz served with the Marine Corps from 1969-1973, including “one year in the Republic of South Vietnam.” Cruz also said that he served in “the Air Force Reserve during the first Gulf War.” Upon being installed as new Commander for Post 162, Cruz was presented with a flag by Master Sgt. Robert San Filippo, who just recently returned from serving in Iraq with a U.S. Air Force airlift squadron. The flag he presented Cruz flew on combat missions during Operations New Dawn and Enduring Freedom in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bahrain and other countries. Filippo said, “I served proudly and am glad to come back home to my adopted father, (fellow Legionnaire) Jack Murphy.”